1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water dispenser constructed in such way as to enable dispensation of cold water(drinking water) stored in a refrigerator at an external side of the refrigerator without opening and closing a door thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typically-used water dispenser of a refrigerator is constructed, as illustrated in FIG. 1, to dispense cold water stored in the refrigerator at an external side of a refrigerator body 1, to which a freezing chamber door 2 and a refrigerating chamber door 3 are coupled by a hinge (not shown) in such way as to allow the doors 2 and 3 to be opened and closed freely.
The refrigerating chamber door 3 is disposed at one side thereof with a water dispenser 4.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the water dispenser 4 is releasably disposed at an inner side of the refrigerating chamber door 3 with a water storage vessel 9 where cold water (w) is stored.
Furthermore, the water storage vessel 9 is disposed at an upper side thereof with a lid 10 in such way as to allow same to be opened and closed, and mounted at a lower side thereof with a lower cap 11.
The lower cap 11 is resiliently provided at an inner side thereof with a valve body 12 by a spring 8b so as to be vertically moved by a slide member 7.
The valve body 12 is arranged at an upper end thereof with a valve plate 13 for controlling flow of the cold water(w) by opening and closing an upper end of the lower cap 11 according to the vertical movement of the valve body 12.
Meanwhile, the refrigerating chamber door 3 is formed at an inner side thereof with a water discharge outlet 5a to allow the cold water(w) to be discharged out of the water storage vessel 9, and lengthwise and piercingly disposed at an upper side thereof with a cylinder 5 formed with a mounting part 5b thereon.
The cylinder 5 is provided therein with the slide member 7 resiliently disposed by a spring 8, where the slide member 7 is connected to a rod 7a and horizontally and sliding operated by operation of a water discharge lever 6 hingedly coupled to a front side thereof.
The mounting part 5b is mounted therein with the water storage vessel 9.
Now, an operational relation of the water dispenser of the conventional refrigerator thus constructed will be described.
First of all, when the water storage vessel 9 where a predetermined quantity of cold water (w) is stored is placed in the mounting part 5b formed at an upper side of the cylinder 5, the valve body 12 coupled to an inner side of the lower cap 11 is lifted downward at a lower end thereof by elastic force of the spring 8a to thereby cause the valve plate 13 to close an upper end of the lower cap 11, so that the cold water (w) in the water storage vessel 9 can maintain a state of not being discharged, as illustrated in FIG. 2.
When a vessel (c) such as cup and the like is placed underneath the water discharge outlet 5a as illustrated in FIG. 2 in an alternate long and short dash line, and when the vessel (c) is pushed toward an arrow direction, the water discharge lever 6 is forwardly moved.
According to the forward operation of the water discharge lever 6, the slide member 7 connected to the rod 7a is backwardly moved and at the same time, the valve body 12 is upwardly operated.
Accordingly, the valve plate 13 coupled to the upper end of the valve body 12 is lifted upward to thereby open an upper end of the lower cap 11, so that the cold water (w) can be discharged into the vessel (c) through the lower cap 11, cylinder 5 and through the water discharge outlet 5a.
However, there is a problem in the conventional water dispenser in that same is made by numerous parts, making it difficult to be assembled and thereby increasing manufacturing cost.
There is another problem in that a cylinder and a slide member have to be separated for cleaning thereof, thereby causing lots of inconveniences,